Rival books re-ignite war of words over Terri Schiavo

By Jacqui Goddard in Miami

12:01AM GMT 19 Mar 2006

For 15 years they argued through the media, courts, state legislatures and Congress over the fate of Terri Schiavo. Now the two sides in America's most divisive end-of-life case are taking their feud to the nation's bookshelves.

In one corner are Mrs Schiavo's parents and her brother and sister, who have penned a book, A Life That Matters, recounting their failed legal struggle to keep the brain-damaged woman alive against the wishes of her husband and presenting accounts of his alleged violent temper.

Describing themselves as the people who loved and knew her best, they say that their narrative "separates lies from truth, myth from facts" and will correct misconceptions of a story that became "buried under the avalanche of politics and power".

In the other corner is 42-year-old Michael Schiavo, the dead woman's husband, who successfully fought to have her feeding tube withdrawn, resulting in 41-year-old Mrs Schiavo's death in a Florida hospice a year ago next week.

His protracted battle with his in-laws caused a constitutional crisis as politicians - including President George W Bush and his brother Jeb, the governor of Florida - attempted to overrule courts that had ruled in his favour.

It also raised tensions between America's pro-life and right-to-die movements and forced Mr Schiavo into hiding.

"A religious zealot offered $250,000 [£142,000] to anyone who would kill me. My two babies were threatened with death," Mr Schiavo - who remarried two months ago and has two children by his new wife - says in his book Terri: The Truth.

"I was condemned by the President, the majority leaders of the House and Senate, the governor of Florida, the Pope and the Right-wing media, all because I was doing what Terri - the woman I loved - wanted.

"I didn't respond to their attacks. I didn't confront their lies. Until now."

His book is being kept under wraps ahead of its March 27 release. But it is expected to refute allegations that he was ever violent towards his wife - claims that were aired in court - and reject assertions that she had considered divorcing him prior to her mysterious collapse at home in St Petersburg, Florida, in 1990, which left her brain-damaged.

In the family's book, they detail three alleged incidents which they say led to their suspicions that Mr Schiavo had a hair-trigger temper that may have led him to harm Terri.

In one incident, Mrs Schiavo's mother, Mary Schindler, 65, recounts how she witnessed him grabbing his brother around the neck in a choke hold during an argument.

"There was obviously a violent streak in 'Mr Charm' beneath his social politeness," she alleges.

In another episode, Mrs Schiavo's brother, Bobby, 41, claims that Mr Schiavo assaulted him after something he said had "hit a nerve".

"He went crazy. He pushed me down on the couch and had me with his hand around my throat. I couldn't move. He scared me. I remember Terri begging me not to say anything about it to anybody," he says.

In 1992, Mr Schiavo won a medical malpractice lawsuit against his wife's family doctor for having failed to diagnose her with bulimia, which the court was told had led to a potassium imbalance that caused her collapse.

The post mortem examination report last year noted, however, that "the main piece of evidence supporting the diagnosis of bulimia nervosa is suspect".

The findings also countered her parents' belief that she had displayed cognitive abilities, such as recognising them when they walked in her room.

It stated that she was blind at the time of her death and that her brain was "profoundly atrophied".

The clashing accounts of former husband and family - which will be released 24 hours apart - are set to re-ignite the ethical and political debate over the rights of the disabled.

"The Schindlers are almost unflinching in their belief that Terri was murdered," said Prof Art Caplan, the director of the Centre for Bio-ethics at Pennsylvania University.

"Probably the most compelling thing Michael Schiavo has to say is why he didn't just walk away and divorce her. He says he really did feel he knew what she wanted and he wasn't willing to give up his standing as her decision-maker."

Bobby Schindler, who now dedicates his time to campaigning for pro-life causes and disabled rights, said yesterday: "The only thing that connected us to Michael Schiavo was Terri, and Michael is no longer part of our lives and connected to us. We really don't care about Michael Schiavo."

Mr Schiavo's lawyer, George Felos, said last night that there was "never substance" to the violence allegations and that they had been repeatedly rejected by the courts.

"It's sad that the parents are not able to really move past this," he said.

He added: "Michael is going to very forcefully tell his side of the story. It was important for him to write a book, it was a healing experience."

Mr Felos is also working on his own book that examines end-of-life issues - Beyond Schiavo: Searching For Death With Dignity.

Another book - Fighting For Dear Life: The Untold Story Of Terri Schiavo and What It Means For All Of Us - written by the Schindlers' lawyer, David Gibbs, is due out in August.